Principal's Page

Happy New Year! As we reflect on 2018, we should feel a tremendous sense of pride for the wonderful work we have done as a school community. Last year we revamped the focus of our lesson planning, and state test scores in ELA remained consistent while state test scores in Math rose 7%. We are on an upward trajectory when it comes to improving student outcomes, and I anticipate further growth come May when our students take state exams again. Enrollment is on an upwards trajectory as well. While total enrollment is up 9% from last year, our biggest strides were made in our early childhood program. The school added a much missed Pre-K 3 program and increased our Kindergarten enrollment by 75%. (Total early childhood enrollment is up 34%.) Aside from increased enrollment and test scores, we also increased our enrichment classes by adding Art last February and Spanish this past September. We have begun an alumni association, had a successful reunion last year, and will begin planning this year’s event soon. SRL also started a Student Council that has created service and leadership opportunities for our students. We’ve also made some improvements to the appearance of our physical building as well. This month we are looking to improve our After-School program by adding art, music, and chess for our younger students. Our efforts have been successful because of your positive partnership with us. For that, I sincerely thank you. And the wonderful work continues as we roar into 2019! Catholic high schools have made their admissions decisions, and they will be informing 8th grade families in the upcoming days. Student Council is hard at work planning for Catholic Schools Week, and we will continue with MAP assessments this month to better inform our instruction. New plans are on the horizon (spring musical perhaps?) so please keep in touch each month to find out what is happening. Here are some important dates to remember this month. On Tuesday, January 15th, we will be holding an Open House for our Kindergarten. Wednesday, January 16th, our UPK is closed for a DOE workshop; all other classes are in session as usual. Friday, January 18th is a half-day for all of our students except UPK which has a full day. There will be no After-School that day. For our UPK and K parents who have children in the After-School, if you would like your child to participate in the Art class, please drop off your $75 payment by Monday, 1/7/19. We work everyday to fulfill the mission of St. Rose of Lima School to shape future leaders, “who are being nurtured to possess love and compassion for humankind.” Thank you for entrusting your children to our care. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the school or e-mail me at principal@stroseoflimanyc.org. I wish you a wonderful 2019!